If you’re looking for a quick, sweet treat to wow friends and family this holiday season, microwave peanut brittle is the answer.
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Forget spending hours over the stove stirring sugar and watching for the perfect caramel temperature—this easy recipe lets you create that crunchy, nutty holiday classic in just minutes! The golden, glossy candy studded with roasted peanuts is as addictive to make as it is to eat.
Perfect for gifting, cookie exchanges, or adding to a festive dessert platter, microwave peanut brittle combines the cozy flavors of the holidays with the convenience of modern kitchen magic.
We’ll show you step by step how to make this sweet, crunchy treat in a fraction of the time—so you can spend more moments sipping cocoa by the fire and less time in the kitchen. It’s holiday candy made simple, with maximum festive cheer!
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Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. light corn syrup
- 1 c. unsalted peanuts
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
This recipe is very easy to make if you follow the directions exactly. You will want to do a test run with your microwave to see if your microwave is more powerful than what this recipe calls for.
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The original recipe said to run your microwave on 100% power, but I had to kick mine down a notch to be running at 90% power. I think this recipe was developed with an older microwave in mind. If your microwave is less than about 3 years old I would definitely run it at 90% power.
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The nice thing about this recipe is that you can tell when the peanut brittle is done. Your butter and corn syrup mixture will go from being white in color to a golden brown. If you take the bowl out of the microwave when the mixture is a nice light golden brown, it will turn out perfect. Definitely keep a close eye on it!
Butter a cookie sheet. In a large microwavable mixing bowl, stir together sugar and corn syrup. Microwave for 4 minutes.
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Stir in the peanuts and salt, and microwave for 3 1/2 minutes.
Mix in the butter and vanilla extract, and stir until butter is melted. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir in the baking soda. Pour the peanut brittle mixture onto the greased baking sheet, spreading slightly with a spatula if necessary. The peanut brittle will flatten as it cools.
Let the peanut brittle cool to room temperature, then break it into pieces.
Follow my holiday recipes board on Pinterest.
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I made two batches of this brittle and both turned out fantastic. I added 2x the peanuts though. Lol
The second batch was hazelnuts. 13/4 cups of hazelnut.
It’s absolutely delicious .
Thank you.